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The Penguin 3 Impact: What’s Changed In SEO

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Penguin 3 first broke the ice on October 17th and has continued to roll out like a slow moving Antarctic storm freezing up the positive SERP movement of any site with low quality links that’s managed to elude Google’s intricate algorithmic filters for the past year since our last rendezvous with Google’s previous Penguin iteration.

This marks perhaps the most anticipated Google update of all time many in the industry were surprised to hear that over 2 weeks later the update still has yet to reach it’s apex as SERPs all around the world remain a hot bed of activity with many winners and many losers.

I monitor a number of sites from local businesses, to affiliate sites competing in the US market. As patterns slowly begin to emerge and I take a look at the data I’m beginning to see a number of consistent patterns across the multiple SERPs that I track. While this is by no means scientific, here’s what my observations are telling me thus far.

Penguin 3 Gave Some Sites A Fresh Start

If you’ve taken the time to clean up your link profile anytime before September odds are there is a strong probability that you’ve seen some recovery if you’d previously been trapped under the thumb of a one of the other Penguin predecessors.

I’m seeing major recovery for a number of Penguin hit sites, but nothing compared to their pre-Penguin SERP positions.

This suggests to me that the disavow file for this site might have also included some links that were otherwise helping it to rank.

My intention?

Build new links to this particular site and see if the new links can actually produce some tangible SERP movement. It’s been my experience in the past with Penguin hit sites no matter what you throw at it links-wise, or content-wise it just won’t budge until the filter is lifed.

More Than A Refresh?

Google’s very own Pierre Far called this Penguin a refresh on a Google Plus post at the beginning of the roll out.

A refresh implies the same Penguin that was last run in October 2013 is being rerun this October and November, an update on the other hand would entail an actual change to the signals that the Penguin algorithm uses to identify low quality sites.

As opposed to what I’ve seen with previous roll outs, it seems like 3.0 has tightened the noose on low quality links with a much less forgiving heavy handed approach than it’s past brethren.

On the contrary, I’ve spotted a number of sites that have a far greater number of low quality links but an overall greater number of backlinks in general meaning these low quality links represent a smaller percentage of their overal llink profile.

These sites are completely unscathed thus far by this Penguin.

1% Of Queries, 99% Of Lazy SEOs

Leave it to Penguin to make SEO a dirty word.

Thousands of businesses destroyed simply because the business owner who’s not an SEO expert happened to hire an “expert” who effectively sunk his or her client’s site.

Suddenly, the next SEO guy that pitches his services to this business owner is guilty by association.

That’s one the dangers of hiring a cheap SEO, or just “buying some Fiverr” links.

Business owners and SEOs, heed this warning. If it’s an easy link to get, it’s probably not worth having.

Don’t trust any SEO agency charging you less than $1,000 dollars a month for SEO services.

Odds are with a limited budget they are cutting corners, and while they might show results quickly the real damage will appear long-term.

It’s no secret that typically people tracking keyword rankings are tracking primarily commercial terms. Those 1% of queries effected likely included commercial search queries that many SEOs monitor closely because they are often high ticket keywords.

My weapon of choice for monitoring these high ticket keywords is SERPWOO.

The graph below shows the beginning of Penguin 3.0 as a the red bar showing a tremendous amount of turbulence in the SERPs for the keywords being tracked by SERPWOO users. Odds are 99% of these keywords are commercial in nature. I know very few SEOs who pay attention to keywords that they know aren’t money makers.

The impact of Penguin in non-commercial SERPs is still questionable on my end.

The correlation being shady link building practices, and commercial keywords is strong and there’s no denying most sites hit by Penguin 3.0 were sites targeting commercial keywords and clinging to antiquated automated link building tools and long-fully lusting for the ye olden days of SEO when the lowly pauper in his basement with a couple hundred bucks could make thousands in highly competitive niches.

Blackhat Never Dies

Maybe the days of “link blasts” and “article marketing” really are dead.

Maybe many self professed SEOs will never spin another article, or {leave|drop|give out|post} another spammy blog comment asking “What type of theme are you using? I really like it. Read my web blog.”

However, one thing is absolutely certain. Blackhat never dies.

In spite of Google’s efforts Blackhat SEO continues to thrive however the discussion has moved underground. No longer are forums buzzing with the latest Blackhat tactics.

The discussion has moved underground as the noose tightens on those looking to game Google’s algorithm.

The community of PBN builders continues strong as ever with much discussion occurring on Facebook and private forums.

Until the day Google’s algorithms achieve a level of AI indistinguishable from a human being a small subset of SEOs will continue to look for methods to exploit holes in the algorithms.

While I agree with Spencer that the amount of time and effort that goes into setting up a PBN is much better spent actually creating something of value that’s going to help make the internet a better place, I do believe Blackhat SEO has a time and a place.

Blackhat tactics allow us to gain a greater of understanding of how Google’s algorithms work, and control for far more variables in a site’s link profile than merely by creating and promoting great content to gain natural links.

The Penguin 3 Recovery Process

Recoveries are sporadic at best, though many webmasters did report seeing some recovery after the refresh. Beware of being deceived by service providers selling “Penguin 3 Penalty Removals” if they are also promising that your rankings will return.

For one Penguin is not a penalty. Neither is Panda. There is no such thing as an algorithmic penalty.

A much more appropriate term is “Filter”.

Actual Google penalties are applied by manual reviewers, not machines.

Secondly, it’s rarer than a white buffalo that your rankings will actually increase after your site has been released from the filter.

However, if your site has attracted enough quality backlinks while under Penguin’s thumb it’s possible that your rankings could return even higher than they were before.

This is uncommon, because many sites hit by Penguin are either A. abandoned, or B. not quality enough to attract natural links.

Remember recovery does not equal a return in your rnakings.

If you’re planning to go down this path rather than abandon your site all together, it’s basically a three part process.

Identify toxic links

Remove or disavow bad links

Wait

Many SEOs proclaim that removing links is unnecessary and as long as you have a disavow file that’s enough.

Going Forward In A Post Penguin World

Penguin 3.0 did not kill Blackhat SEO, and even if all link building automation tools become obsolete over night Google still has their hands full dealing with Private Blog Networks.

The recent PBN update and Penguin 3.0 have caused ripples in the pocket books of thousands of SEOs and their clients along with small business owners everywhere who make their living online.

As this refresh nears the end of the roll out and we patiently wait the next iteration of Penguin, the battle cries begin once again.

Thousands of Blackhatters work pitilessly on building up new PBN sites, selling the latest SEO course with some insanely douchey name that rehashes the common wisdom on Private Blog Networks, or yet another tutorial on how to make spam tools work in today’s climate.

At the end of the day there’s no escaping the truth about the future of SEO. The line between being an “SEO” and being a “marketer” starts to blur. Those SEOs who’s only trick was push-button link building will slowly fade into the oblivion. Maybe not today, but the writing is on the wall.

Sure you could even figure out a few caveats in Google’s algorithms and exploit them for a time, but shortly afterwards your tactic will be rendered obsolete.

If there’s one tactic that’ll never be rendered obsolete it’s this.

Actually offering something of real value for your site’s visitors.

If it takes less work to offer value, than it does to game an algorithm — why not take the path of least resistance toward the greatest financial gain?

How has Penguin 3.0 impacted the sites you regularly monitor? Comment below, let’s talk about it.

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